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Greg232
Dodge Dakota
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11/04/2003
16:21:34
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 Subject: Ext Warranty
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I just purchased a 2003 Club Cab about 2 months ago. I got in the mail today an extended warranty offer from DC. Has anyone purchased one of these after the sale if so which program. I intend to keep the dodge as long as I can. Any advice will much appreciated.
Thank you
Greg
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SinCity R/T
Dodge Dakota
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11/04/2003
17:02:24
| RE: Ext Warranty
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If it is the Chrysler Service Contract, DO NOT BUY IT. I just got screwed with a $3,000.00+ repair bill because they are using a bunch of BS legal terms in the contract to deny a warranty claim on a part that a Dodge dealership worked on in June but failed 3 months later. Their customer service is the absolute worst I've ever dealt with from any company.
My experience was so bad that I will never buy another Dodge or Chrysler product ever again, and I'm starting a website just to document everything that happened to me so people can learn from my experience. The site will be up soon with links posted.
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JoeK
Dodge Dakota
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11/04/2003
17:07:15
|  RE: Ext Warranty
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SinCity:
Please describe your problem so we can evaluate. Others have said the extd wty was a good thing to get. What happened????
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Kowalski
Dodge Dakota
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11/04/2003
18:08:17
| RE: Ext Warranty
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They're just trying to make more money off you. They don't sell those policies to loose money. Try this - bank that money and only tap into it for repairs. Do this for every vehicle you ever own and I guarantee you will come out ahead in the end, and never any hassles over wether you might not be covered because somwhere along the line you went a little too long on an oil change. Personally I just chance it - you don't tend to hear from the people who shelled out all that money and never needed it.
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jeremiah2360
Dodge Dakota
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11/04/2003
18:28:27
| RE: Ext Warranty
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I purchased a four year 100k extended warranty from Warranty Direct,MaxCare,for $1400.00. It covers what the original factory bumper to bumper warranty covers after 36k. Also covers parts that wear out, not just fail(not including the usual; shocks,spark plugs,clutches,etc...) Also covers overheats unless they can prove you kept driving and didn`t shut down as soon as possible. You can go to any certified shop for repairs. My local repair shop has dealt with them and just doesn`t like them keeping him on the phone for half an hour getting info.
I took a chance,hopefully they won`t pull a Warranty Gold on me,or bust balls. I figured anything is better than the Dealer BS. I can`t wait until I hit 36k so I can deal with someone normal.
Greg232, what prices were they offering?
03 qc 4.7 auto 4x4 21k(it won`t be long)
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twocentsworth
Dodge Dakota
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11/04/2003
18:32:37
| RE: Ext Warranty
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I have bought four new cars since 1988 and never bought an extended warranty on any of them, to date I have never needed one. Although this Dakota has come the closest, ball joints started making noise at 28k, 4k out of warranty. I know some how it had to be my fault.
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mikeb
Dodge Dakota
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11/04/2003
18:35:43
| RE: Ext Warranty
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Yea brother, they wouldn't sell those warranties if they weren't making a butt-load of free cash off of them. My plan is the next time they put the hard sell on me I'll ask them if the car is so crappy I'll need one and then pretend I'm rethinking my purchase. Should be good for a few laughs.
Here's the real scam on the warranty thing. They present it like your paying your several thousand dollars and you get a 5 or 7 year extended warranty. What you need to notice is you already get at least a three year warranty and you're paying a huge amount of money to get what is usually just two years of warranty after that!
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.boB
Dodge Dakota
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11/05/2003
09:36:49
| RE: Ext Warranty
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Consumer Reports ALWAYS recommends you not buy that. You're betting that the car will break down. DC is betting that it won't; or that they can weasel out of paying for it if it does. It's house odds on that bet.
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JoeK
Dodge Dakota
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11/05/2003
12:00:08
| RE: Ext Warranty
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What you are buying is an insurance policy; plain and simple. Like any insurance policy, you need to assess what is covered and what is not covered, and the risk you are willing to assume that your vehicle will have a problem.
Someone above made the argument that it is better to put the money in the bank and earn interest on it. Assuming a great rate of return of 5% in the current banking environment, you are looking at a return of $610 on a $1500 deposit over 7 years. $1500 is the list price for one of the best (ie; most coverage) 7 year extended wty DC offers. For example, if you put $1500 in the bank, in 7 years you would have $2110. What you have to decide is whether you will incur more than $2110 of COVERED warranty repair cost in years 4 through 7 (years 1 through 3 are covered by the base warranty).
I feel that these cars are so complex now that it is a no-brainer for people like me who are not mechanically inclined to get the warranty. My wife had a problem with her Ford Escape that was covered under the extended warranty and the dealer charge back to Ford was $1600. Note that the dealer charge back to the factory is approximately HALF of what is charged to individuals bringing their vehicles in for service. Why? The factory believes that the dealer service department is expected to up-sell customers whenever they bring a vehicle in for wty service and they are to make their money off of the customer rather than the factory. I am glad we had the Ford extended wty. My Dak is still under the base wty so only time will tell!
Good luck with your decision!
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gregor
Dodge Dakota
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11/05/2003
13:25:47
| RE: Ext Warranty
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The general answer for u no-wrenches is to get the
ext warranty and hope you never need it. If you are wrench capable, I would NOT get the ext warranty. I've owned several DC vehicles in last
15 years. Yes, honoring the warranty coverage is the absolute pits for even the 3/36.I had to fight
them to honor basic quality-issuee. their piss-poor workmanship caused multiple return trips to
their shop so they can attempt a permanent "fix".
My experience has been to spend $100 and buy the factory repair manual and do the work yourself.
I have easily recouped the $100 and more on my
wife's '97 Neon and will do same on my '01 QC.
If you have a problem that is beyond your
level of competence, or lack of special tools, at least you can take it to your choice of an independant A/C shop, or tire shop, or whatever and pay a fairer price for a repair.
An added benefit is that the shop manual also
tells you what outcome to expect for certain
diagnostic tests, so you can converse with the
indy shop or technician as an informed consumer.
Less chance of getting ripped off???
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jb
Dodge Dakota
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11/05/2003
16:44:03
| RE: Ext Warranty
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I sure was glad i had an ext service contract on my old sonoma, i would have had well over 8k+ in repairs if not for that. I also have one on my dak but i got the dealer to throw it in as a part of the deal or i wouldnt buy the truck. They balked but when i walked out got in my old truck and drove away they knew i was serious( and no they didnt make it up on the the cost of the new truck, i paid 1k under invoice with no trade). I could care less about the years for me its the miles. I have almost 50k on a 02 dak so the factory warranty is shot. I havent needed it yet but its nice to know its there in case i need it. It is a gamble like the guys said but if it gives you peice of mind it may be worth it.
BTW i now how to turn a wrench just fine, i just choose not to anymore. I have much better things to do with my time, like go fishing.
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irq3
Dodge Dakota
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11/06/2003
10:55:48
| RE: Ext Warranty
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I too, plan on keeping my vehicle as long as possible. If you are just going to trade it in after a few years, then don't bother with the warranty.
When I purchased my Dakota in June, the dealer wanted something like $1500 UP FRONT for the Maximum Care extended warranty- I flat out refused. I thought they were being too pushy, didn't have the extra cash and didn't want to finance it. I'm not sure of details of the plan.
A few months later, I received a "discounted" offer from Daimler Chrysler with 12 months "interest free" financing. I decided it was cheap insurance. I purchased the 7 year/ 70K Maximum Care for $1260 with a $100 deductible. That works out to $105 a month. It's a one time time hit to my wallet. It's also transferable. The way I see it, I spent over 20K for the truck. If I was trying to save money, I would have bought used.
I am not worried about the truck breaking down within the warranty period. I was thinking about the future. The whole vehicle is computer controlled. Let's see; Engine, Transmission, 4x4 system, ABS, A/C, Alternator, Fuel pump, etc. How much will specialized parts cost? What is the "labor rate" going to be in 2010 ??? Any unforeseen "major" repair could cost well over a grand. I can "turn a wrench" but, If you are going to fix it yourself, do you have access to specialized computer equipment to diagnose problems? I don't. If you have to purchase parts from a dealer, you will probably pay full retail. Don't let anyone kid you. All vehicles have problems at one time or another. Even if it is just minor, nothing lasts forever!
This is just my opinion. If you have a problem with your service dealer, I believe you can go to any Dodge dealer for service. I don't believe you are stuck with the dealer you purchased from. Besides, I didn't purchase my contract from the selling dealer...
You can also check DC's website:
http://www.servicecontracts.chrysler.com/contract_info/price_content.jsp
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Rob454
Dodge Dakota
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11/06/2003
11:23:08
| RE: Ext Warranty
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Heses my extended warranty story.
IMO they are completely worthless. I have 2 friends who worked as service advisors. they both thell me that 99% of them are worthless. the only ones worth about 1/2 the money you actually pay is the factory warranty. He told me that he had a hunday with a 100 K warranty. he had it for 7 years. in that 7 years he said he tried to get whatever he could fixed on it and STILL never went past what he paid for the warranty contract.
he said its nothing but a money maker for the dealers. his opinion and mine is dont buy it.
as for my warranty story.
2000 dakota. stuff fixed under warranty.
AC check valve, front pinion axle bolts (more on that), front axle broke ( the pinion bolts werent tightened as per the recall), lighter broke, cupholder broke, rear seat cloth trim backing warped, front wheel pass side chipping paint, power steering pump, steering rack,
Anyway after having to fix all this stuff within 36K I thought I better get a extended warranty so I got one. I got their gold package that covered everything except for the normal wear and tear items which is understandable.
Anyway I had my rear axle break. the backing plate for the pass side snapped. the brake assembly twisted 360* and choked off the brake line. So in to the dealer it goes. they call the ext warranty Co and they send a guy out to take pics about 1 week later. after another week they call the dealer and say I hit something. so I call them and they said I hit something. I say BS. there is absolutely NO damage anywhere on my vehicle. if I hit something HARD enough to do that wouldnt there be some sort of damage on the suspension, axle blown tire mabey body damage. the guy just basically said I hit something.
so I say f this and called back and got my $$ back on the contract. of course that was after they took a extra 200$ cancellation fee.
I WILL NEVER AS LONG AS I LIVE PURCHASE A EXTENDED WARRANTY CONTRACT.
My wife had one on her GMC. we never used it. 1500$ pissed away. I knew the service writers and I took it in when it was out of warranty and they fixed a bunch of stuff for us really cheap or comped me. but that was because my Dually chevy was a POS and they had about 12000 $ worth of repairs on it within one year paid by me or my insurance but thats a whole other story.
Pound for pound youre gonna loose $$ with a extended warranty
ROb
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Dave Mitchell
Dodge Dakota
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11/06/2003
11:55:48
|  RE: Ext Warranty
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If you can pay off/trade off your entire vehicle before the 36,000/3-years basic warranty is up, don't get the warranty.
Otherwise... I had a manual transmission fail at $50,000. How much would it have cost me to replace it, parts and labor? Or no labor and I wrench the thing in?
Be aware, the warranties (80,000 mandated emissions, or the Chrysler extended) do not cover the TSB (Technical Service Bulletins) or such "adjustments" as a PCM flash ($137.00), as stated by the 5-star dealer I went to for service.
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